Philosophy Ph.D. Reading List

Enrich your knowledge. Prepare for your comprehensive exam.

Author	Work
Parmenides	On Nature
Plato	Republic, Apology, Crito, Phaedo, Symposium, Theaetetus
Aristotle	Categories, Posterior Analytics I.1-6, 18, 33-4; II.1-2, 8-11, 19, Physics I-III.3, On the Soul, Metaphysics I-IX, XII, Nicomachean Ethics
Epictetus	Discourses I-II
Plotinus	Enneads (selection by A.H. Armstrong, 1953)
Augustine	Confessions, City of God VIII and XIX
Pseudo-Dionysius	Mystical Theology, The Divine Names
Anselm	Monologion, Proslogion
Avicenna	The Metaphysics of "The Healing" (trans. M. Marmura) I.1-7, V, VIII.3-7
Averroes	The Incoherence of the Incoherence (trans. S. Van Den Bergh) 4th, 5th and 13th Discussions
Maimonides	Guide of the Perplexed Introduction to First Part, I.50-II.31, III.8-24
Bonaventure	The Itinerary of the Mind into God, The Reduction of the Arts to Theology
Aquinas	Summa Theologiae I.1-13, 75-89, I-II.1-5, 90-97, De ente et essentia
Duns Scotus	Ordinatio I, dist. 2, qu. 1: I, dist.3, qu. 1; II, dist.3, part 1, qu. 1-6
William of Ockham	Ordinatio I, dist. 2, qu. 4-8, Questions on the Physics I, qu. 132-36, Quodlibet I, qu. 1
Descartes	Meditations on First Philosophy, Discourse on Method
Leibniz	Discourse on Metaphysics, Monadology
Locke	An Essay concerning Human Understanding Intro.; Bk. 1, ch. 1; Bk. 2, ch. 1-13, 19-27, 31-33, Bk. 3, ch. 1-3; Bk. 4, ch. 1-4, 9-11, 18-19
Hume	An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding, Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion
Rousseau	First Discourse: Discourse on the Sciences and the Arts
Kant	Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, Critique of Pure Reason
Hegel	"Philosophy of Spirit" Part 3 of the Encyclopedia of Philosophic Sciences
Kierkegaard	Fear and Trembling, Concluding Unscientific Postscript
Mill	Utilitarianism, On Liberty, The Subjection of Women
Nietzsche	Genealogy of Morals, Thus Spake Zarathustra
Bergson	An Introduction to Metaphysics
Husserl	Ideas I, sec. 2: "The Fundamental Phenomenological Outlook," "Philosophy and the Crisis of European Humanity" (Vienna Lecture, in the appendix to Crisis of European Sciences and Transcendental Phenomenology)
Wittgenstein	Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, Philosophical Investigations
Heidegger	Being and Time, "What is Metaphysics?" "The End of Philosophy and the Task of Thinking"

Author

Work

Parmenides

On Nature

Plato

Republic, Apology, Crito, Phaedo, Symposium, Theaetetus

Aristotle

Categories, Posterior Analytics I.1-6, 18, 33-4; II.1-2, 8-11, 19, Physics I-III.3, On the Soul, Metaphysics I-IX, XII, Nicomachean Ethics

Epictetus

Discourses I-II

Plotinus

Enneads (selection by A.H. Armstrong, 1953)

Augustine

Confessions, City of God VIII and XIX

Pseudo-Dionysius

Mystical Theology, The Divine Names

Anselm

Monologion, Proslogion

Avicenna

The Metaphysics of "The Healing" (trans. M. Marmura) I.1-7, V, VIII.3-7

Averroes

The Incoherence of the Incoherence (trans. S. Van Den Bergh) 4th, 5th and 13th Discussions

Maimonides

Guide of the Perplexed Introduction to First Part, I.50-II.31, III.8-24

Bonaventure

The Itinerary of the Mind into God, The Reduction of the Arts to Theology

Aquinas

Summa Theologiae I.1-13, 75-89, I-II.1-5, 90-97, De ente et essentia

Duns Scotus

Ordinatio I, dist. 2, qu. 1: I, dist.3, qu. 1; II, dist.3, part 1, qu. 1-6

William of Ockham

Ordinatio I, dist. 2, qu. 4-8, Questions on the Physics I, qu. 132-36, Quodlibet I, qu. 1

Descartes

Meditations on First Philosophy, Discourse on Method

Leibniz

Discourse on Metaphysics, Monadology

Locke

An Essay concerning Human Understanding Intro.; Bk. 1, ch. 1; Bk. 2, ch. 1-13, 19-27, 31-33, Bk. 3, ch. 1-3; Bk. 4, ch. 1-4, 9-11, 18-19

Hume

An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding, Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion

Rousseau

First Discourse: Discourse on the Sciences and the Arts

Kant

Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, Critique of Pure Reason

Hegel

"Philosophy of Spirit" Part 3 of the Encyclopedia of Philosophic Sciences

Kierkegaard

Fear and Trembling, Concluding Unscientific Postscript

Mill

Utilitarianism, On Liberty, The Subjection of Women

Nietzsche

Genealogy of Morals, Thus Spake Zarathustra

Bergson

An Introduction to Metaphysics

Husserl

Ideas I, sec. 2: "The Fundamental Phenomenological Outlook," "Philosophy and the Crisis of European Humanity" (Vienna Lecture, in the appendix to Crisis of European Sciences and Transcendental Phenomenology)

Wittgenstein

Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, Philosophical Investigations

Heidegger

Being and Time, "What is Metaphysics?" "The End of Philosophy and the Task of Thinking"

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